By way of background, a number of industries are affected by regulations relating to water treatment, such as ballast water treatment systems (“BWTS”) on ships and the like. Such regulations require that microorganisms be effectively treated (killed) by the BWTS before such water is returned to the ocean or other body of water. Generally speaking, Zooplankton in the size range of approximately 10 to 50 microns is an “indicator” microorganism used to determine the effectiveness of treatment. To date, monitoring of the effectiveness of such BWTS has largely been handled through samples submitted to a lab, there most often involving human examination under a microscope. Such approaches to compliance assessment have numerous shortcomings in terms of accuracy, speed, and cost. Similarly, flow cytometry systems, though offering relatively higher throughput, are also lacking in terms of viability determination (determinations regarding whether an organism is living) and portability for field or deployed uses.
The following art defines the present state of this field:
International Pub. No. JP WO20051064545 dated Mar. 21, 2008 is directed to subject matter teaching that to be viable in the antigen by specifically labeled, as among a viable microorganisms can be detected rapidly in a short time, the reliability of inspection and detection method can also be guaranteed. Such as an antigen, Escherichia coli, viable to be examined in the antigen (target bacteria 12) enzymatic decomposition by the sign material 13 is brought into action after generating a labeled antigen 14, specifically to subject the specific coupling in a stationary phase is formed by fixing an antibody, an antigen labeled 14 thereof to and captured.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US 2009/0162887 to Kaduchak et al. dated Jun. 25, 2009, is directed to a method and apparatus for acoustically manipulating one or more particles.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US 2010/0041122 to Ragsdale dated Feb. 18, 2010, is directed to membrane-encased structures such as biological cells, liposomes, and vesicles, conveyed through one or more channels in a rotating disk for individual exposure to optical elements or to electrodes, for purposes of transfection or flow cytometry. The rotation of the disk serves either to provide centrifugal force to urge the cells against one wall of the channel and in certain embodiments to move the cells through the channels, or to draw cells at preselected times or intervals into the exposure zone, or all three.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US 2010/0116647 to Kornmuller et al. dated May 13, 2010, is directed to a water treatment plant, in particular ballast water treatment plant, for removing sediments and/or removing and/or destroying living organisms, which has at least one filter unit (B) and at least one disinfection unit (C), wherein the plant has a detection unit (D) by means of which the number of living organisms of a presettable size per unit volume of water can be determined, and in that the plant has a control unit, by means of which the disinfection unit (C) can be controlled as a function of the number of living organisms which has been determined.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US 2010/0157291 to Kiesel et al. dated Jun. 24, 2010, is directed to a method wherein sensors can be used to obtain encoded sensing results from objects that have nonuniform relative motion. A photosensor or impedance-based sensor, for example, can obtain sensing results from objects that have relative motion within a sensing region relative to the sensor, with the relative motion being, for example, periodically varying, randomly varying, chirp-varying, or modulated relative motion that completes at least one modulation cycle within the sensing region. Relative motion can be caused by varying objects' speed and/or direction or by controlling flow of fluid carrying objects, movement of a channel, movement of a support structure, movement of a sensor, and/or pattern movement. A fluidic implementation can include shaped channel wall parts and/or a displacement component causing time-varying lateral displacement. A support structure implementation can include a scanner device and a rotary device that respectively control scanning and rotating movement of a movable support structure or of a sensor.
Japanese Patent Application Pub. No. JP 2012020218 dated Feb. 2, 2012, is directed to a system wherein the liquid supplied to the ballast tank 103 in the sterilization of microorganisms hydrophyte for sterilization device 101 and 1, ballast water in the ballast tank 103 for sterilization device 102 and the second, first the liquid 1 sterilization treatment device 101 for supplying the chest 104 of the ballast from the ballast tank 103, 105 and connected to a water supply line, 2 sterilization treatment device 102 includes a first liquid containing sodium chloride, sodium hypochlorite by electrolysis in the electrolytic cell for generating the ballast water treatment system is provided.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,153,950 to Kiesel et al. dated Apr. 10, 2012, is directed to an encoder/sensor can obtain sensing results from objects in an encoding/sensing region; a trigger detector can respond to objects in a trigger detection region, providing respective trigger signals; and a relative motion component can cause relative motion of objects into the trigger detection region, from it into the encoding/sensing region, and within the encoding/sensing region. In response to an object's trigger signal, control circuitry can cause the encoder/sensor and/or the relative motion component to operate so that the encoder/sensor obtains sensing results indicating a time-varying waveform and processing circuitry can obtain data from the sensing results indicating a time-varying waveform. The time-varying waveform can include information resulting from the relative motion within the encoding/sensing region. The encoder/sensor and trigger detector can be implemented, for example, with discrete components or as sets of cells in a photosensing array on an integrated circuit.
U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. US 2012/0115723 to Stimson et al. dated May 10, 2012, is directed to a composition for treating waters, e.g. ballast water or injection water for oil recovery, to kill in-situ aquatic invasive species comprises at least one biocide capable of killing both animal and plant micro-organisms. The at least one biocide preferably comprises Brilliant Green, Gentian Violet, and/or erythrosine, and a wetting agent or detergent-like compound such as CTAB or CTAC. The invention also relates to a system for treating ballast water in situ comprising means for injecting a composition for treating ballast water; means for measuring the flow rate or amount of ballast water to be treated; means for controlling the dosing of the composition; and means for storing or receiving the composition. The invention also relates to a method of detecting viable aquatic organisms in ballast water in situ comprising detecting metabolism in viable micro-organisms in ballast water and, therefore, measuring the efficacy of any treatment.
The prior art described above teaches a viable specifically labeled antigen detection and detection device for detecting method, a particle analysis in an acoustic cytometer, a centrifugal force-based system for detection/treatment of membrane-encased structures, a ballast water treatment plant having filter, disinfection, instrumentation and control unit, a system for causing relative motion, a ballast water treatment system and ballast water treatment method, a system and method for obtaining sensing results and/or data in response to object detection, and a ballast water treatment system, but does not teach a means for imparting at least inertial stimulation to organisms within a fluid flow for the purpose of determining whether organisms are living based on detected responsive movement and/or motion of the organisms. Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide further related advantages as described in the following disclosure.